Physicians' opinions and counseling practices in maternal and infant nutrition

Opinions and practices regarding maternal and infant nutrition of general practitioners, pediatricians, and obstetricians in the province of British Columbia were surveyed by mail questionnaires. Scores were significantly higher for physicians who: (a) Were female; (b) consulted with a nutritionist-dietitian; (c) had additional training; (d) attended continuing education programs; and (e) had studied nutrition in their medical school curriculum. Pediatricians' and obstetricians' practice scores were significantly higher than those of general practitioners. However, there were no significant differences among the nutrition opinion scores for the three groups of physicians.